Bryant's FG gives Falcons 16-14 win over 49ers

ATLANTA (AP) -- Roddy White's best play came on defense, and it
allowed the Atlanta Falcons to come up with another close-call
victory.

When 49ers cornerback Nate Clements intercepted Matt Ryan late
in the fourth quarter and ran 39 yards down the left sideline,
White had one goal in mind: Knock the ball out.

"Any time that you see defensive players carrying the ball,"
Atlanta's star receiver said, "they aren't used to it, so you've
got a chance."

White's forced fumble kept the winning drive alive, and Matt
Bryant kicked a 43-yarder with 2 seconds remaining to lift the
fortunate Falcons to a 16-14 victory over the winless 49ers on
Sunday.

"It wasn't the prettiest kick," said Bryant, who won last week's
overtime game at New Orleans with a 46-yard field goal. "But the
only thing that matters is we get that 'W' when the ball went
through the uprights."

The Falcons (3-1) have won three straight.

San Francisco (0-4) blew a 14-0 first-quarter lead due in part
to a pair of interceptions by Alex Smith.

"Those were critical errors," Smith said.

White caught seven passes for 104 yards - including four for 60
yards on the winning drive - but his biggest play was chasing
Clements down and knocking the ball loose as he tackled him from
behind at the Atlanta 7.

Falcons guard Harvey Dahl recovered the ball to preserve the
12-play winning drive. Clements picked off a pass over the
middle that was intended for tight end Tony Gonzalez.

San Francisco went up 7-0 in the first quarter on Vernon Davis'
11-yard touchdown catch. The 10-play drive was aided by
cornerback Dunta Robinson's 34-yard pass interference penalty
against tight end Delanie Walker.

Four plays later, Falcons punter Michael Koenen was lined up to
receive a snap in the end zone. A blown blocking assignment
allowed Dominique Zeigler to run past long snapper Joe Zelenka
and dive forward for the blocked punt.

Taylor Mays, seeing the ball arching down in his direction,
turned toward the back of the end zone and kept both feet
inbounds as he caught the loose ball for an unconventional
touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

"I saw him block it, picked it up and tried to keep my feet in
bounds," Mays said. "It was a trip, but I would have given it
all up for a win."

Ryan, who completed 26 of 43 passes for 273 yards, connected
with Gonzalez to convert Atlanta's final third down on a 5-yard
pass to the San Francisco 26.

Late in the second quarter, Gonzalez caught a 9-yard pass to
become the first NFL tight end with 12,000 yards receiving.
Gonzalez, who spent his first 12 seasons in Kansas City before
the Falcons traded for him last year, earlier this season became
the first NFL tight with 1,000 career catches.

He seemed more proud of White and Dahl for extending the winning
drive.

"We knew we just needed a field goal, so we had to get it 20
yards past the 30-yard line," Gonzalez said. "It's definitely
all confidence when you are in the huddle at that point."

The 49ers failed to hold the one-point lead despite running 13
plays and using nearly seven minutes of the fourth quarter, but
the drive ended with Smith getting sacked on William Moore's
unblocked safety blitz.

"On that last drive, I thought we did a good job," Smith said.
"We were moving the ball, but then we stalled. It was
frustrating not to be able to get points."

Though the game ended with another loss, the Niners' early drive
gave hope that coach Mike Singletary made the right choice in
firing Jimmy Raye as offensive coordinator earlier this week and
replacing him with Mike Johnson.

"As much as it hurts right now, I'm excited," Singletary said.
"There were positives that came from this."

Atlanta was 2 for 11 on third down plays before Ryan threw from
his end zone to connect with Brian Finneran for a 17-yard gain
down the left side.

White made four tough catches on the drive. His 19-yard
reception against safety Dashon Goldson came in tight coverage
on the left side before Ryan's second interception.

After he helped the Falcons regain possession, White ran a
sideline route on the right side and beat cornerback Tarell
Brown for a 20-yard gain.

"It was an incredible catch," Ryan said. "The ball had pace on
it. It was high, and he went up and just made a played when we
needed to. That's the kind of thing we've come to expect from
Roddy."

Early in the second quarter, Harry Douglas caught Ryan's 8-yard
pass in the right flats and dove for the front pylon to cut the
lead to 14-7.

Douglas' 34-yard catch late in the second quarter helped set up
a 37-yard field goal by Bryant that made it 14-10 at halftime.
Bryant cut the 49ers lead to 14-13 with a 31-yard field goal at
the 5:53 mark of the third quarter.

"We made lots of mistakes and we've got lots of things that
we've got to correct," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "But we're
3-1 through the first quarter of the season."

Notes: 49ers S Michael Lewis didn't make the trip. He missed
practice Friday because of personal reasons and reportedly has
demanded a trade. Mays started in his place. ... Falcons WR
Michael Jenkins (shoulder) and OLB Sean Weatherspoon (ankle) did
not dress. ... X-rays of Walker's sprained ankle were negative.
He didn't return after leaving in the second quarter.